Challenges
by Bella-Claire Taylor
Summary: Stella chooses to ignore Mac's request to take Danny with her to a crime scene.  She's attacked by the suspects and it takes the team 2 days to find her.  Can she recover?  And how will it affect her and Mac's relationship.  Rated M for a reason! Ch3 Up!
1. Chapter 1

*** I own nothing. Just borrowing the the characters for a while. Please read and review. Be aware this story contains some content that is at times graphic. If descriptions of rape or the aftermath bother you, don't read!***

"Take Danny with you, Stella. This guy is dangerous and the last thing I need is someone getting hurt," Mac stated firmly to his stubborn second-in-command.

"I'm a big girl, Mac, I don't need Danny to protect me!" Stella argued.

"You're taking Danny or I'm pulling you off the case. Understood?" Mac ground out somewhat angrily.

"FINE!" Stella snapped over her shoulder as she stormed from his office. "Daniel Messer, let's go!"

"Give me a second! I need to finish running these samples. I'll meet you at the truck in 5 minutes," Danny told her hoping that she wouldn't snap on him the way she had on Mac just a moment before or worse leave without him.

"If you're not there in 5, I'm leaving you here," she snapped hurriedly as she got into the elevator.

"Mac ain't gonna like this," Danny mumbled to the closed doors. He sighed heavily knowing that she wouldn't wait and returned to the samples.

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As predicted, Stella left Danny at the lab and rushed to her crime scene of the latest victim of their serial killer and rapists. The moment she arrived she realized that disobeying Mac's direct orders had been a foolish idea and now wished that she had waited on Danny to come alone. The suspect and his accomplice were waiting at the crime scene.

Stella hadn't lied to Mac when she told him she could protect herself, she had shot and killed the last man that tried to harm her. This time however she was outnumbered and her efforts didn't stand much of a chance. They quickly overpowered Stella and tossed her in the trunk of their car.

When the car started to move, Stella tried her best to remain awake and listen for clues as to where they might be taking her. But the harsh stopping and starting caused her to repeatedly pound against the floor of the trunk, her arms and legs bound with tight rope. Not long after the trip start, she fell unconscious.

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Stella awoke several hours later to a swift kick in the ribs. She was jerked from the floor and stripped of every once of clothing. Her head was pounding and she was painfully aware of what the dark eyed man they were calling James was going to do to her. She tried to cover herself with her arms, and was rewarded with a harsh smack across the face. "Don't you dare hide from me, Bitch!" James bit out harshly. "We are gonna have us some fun tonight!"

Pushing her down and a hard bed, James quickly stripped off his pants, exposing a budging erection. Stella quickly rolled trying her best to get away from the man, but he grabbed her and struck her ribs a second time before tying her to the bedpost by her wrists with metal packing ties. He then climbed on top of her and forced himself between her thighs. She struggled briefly, causing the ties to dig painfully into her wrists. Not even checking to see if she was ready, he thrust hard and fast into her, causing what she was sure was tearing in her vaginal wall. She yelped in pain and James smacked her, yanking her hair to keep her quiet. "Say another thing and I'll make sure I break every rib in your body. Understood?"

Stella nodded and tried her best to bite back the moans of pain as the man continued to drive into her hard and fast. After what seemed like an eternity he finally finished inside of her and pulled out. Pulling his pants back on, he kicked her once more in the ribs and then left her alone, still strapped to the bed.

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Mac realized later that afternoon that Stella hadn't returned to his office. Finding Danny in the break room he asked about the case. "Is Stella still upset with me for making her take you along?"

Danny looked uncomfortable and Mac quickly noticed, but waited to see what was wrong with the young CSI. An angry Stella Bonasera was enough to make even the toughest man uncomfortable. "Mac, Stella left without me several hours ago and no one has seen or heard from her. I tried her cell and her apartment, no answer at either. And the gps on her truck says she still at the crime scene. But even Stell doesn't take this long to process a scene. I think she might be in trouble."

"Take Sheldon and go look around the crime scene. See if you can find anything that might tell us where Stella is. I'm going to try and track to cell phone and hope they kept it with them."

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Two days past without even a small trace of evidence as to where the suspects had taken Stella. Mac was beginning to worry that perhaps they might not find her in time. Danny rushed into Mac's office with a paper with results from the scan that Adam had run. "Mac, I think we found her!"

Mac heart rate more than doubled with Danny's words. "Let's go!"

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The past two days had been horrible for Stella. Bound to the same bed in which she had been strapped to when she first arrived, she had been beaten and raped multiple times by multiple men. Unable to get up to wash, eat or use to bathroom, she was forced to lay in her own feces and urine, not to mention the urine of the men who had found it amusing to pee on her. She had barely eaten and she was quickly losing the ability to fight off the many men who came to have their way with her.

When James returned to her late in the afternoon, Stella tried her best to keep her face neutral and obeyed when he told her to open her legs. He then used the same metal straps he had used for her arms to tie her legs painfully apart and into the air, and attach them to a hook that hung from the ceiling. He then proceeded to rape her again, this time getting deeper penetration and causing Stella to cry out from pain.

Just as James started round two, Mac and Don burst into the room from the closed door and startled not only James but also an extremely frightened Stella. Don jerked James off and quickly cuffed him, not even bothering to grab his pants before dragging the man from the room. Mac quickly unhooked the metal tie and gently settled Stella's legs on the bed. Stella's whimpers let Mac know just how much she had been through the past few days. Sid entered the room a few moments later with a soft blanket, which he draped across Stella's body. Stella continued to whimper softly, her body trembling from both cold and the lack of food. Tucking the blanket around her, Mac managed to make eye contact with his best friend and smiled slightly. "Let's get you out of here and get you home."

"Mac…..I….I'm…..sss….sorry," Stella forced out between what was quickly becoming sobs.

"Breathe, Stella, just breathe. Sid is going to cut your arms loose and then we'll talk about getting you moved to the car." Mac stroked her oily curls as he spoke, doing his best to calm her already frazzled nerves.

Stella's body trembled with every touch and it made Sid sick to his stomach to think about what these men had done to her. He worked quickly and was able to free one of her badly cut wrists. Stella let out a gasp of pain as Sid finished and lowered her second arm to her side. "It h…..hurts…" she whispered between short breaths.

Sid felt her should and quickly realized that all the jerking and thrusting had caused her left shoulder to come out of its socket. Sid looked at Mac, "Her shoulder is badly dislocated, and She has major vaginal tearing, and is in shock. We need to take her to the hospital. I'm just not sure that I can provide the medical care that she needs."

Stella whimpered at the mention of a hospital, "No, Mac, please!" Mac smiled softly and lifted her gently into his arms. Sid helped him wrap Stella in the blanket and Mac carried her to his SUV, placing her tenderly in the backseat. Stella repeated her plea a second time as Mac fastened the seatbelt around her.

"I heard you, Sweetheart. But I want to make sure that you are able to return to the field when you get ready to. We'll be home before you know it," Mac explained to her gently.

"I want to go home, Mac," Stella insisted again through her tears.

Leaning down so that his face was just inches from hers, Mac brushed her forehead with a tender kiss. "I know you do, and I will get you home as quickly as I can. Trust me?" Stella nodded weakly and tried her best to put on a brave face.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Some of the back story will be told through flashbacks. I tried to explain some of Danny's actions in this chapter. Sorry its so short. Please Review!**

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the Emergency entrance to Queen of Mercy Hospital. Mac parked the SUV and came around to carry Stella inside. Her body immediately tensed as Mac moved to lift her from the vehicle. "You okay?" he asked with concern.

Stella nodded and tried her best to fake a smile. "I hate hospitals," she joked half-heartedly.

Mac grinned at her attempt to joke with him. He scooped her tenderly into his arms and carried her toward the entrance. "That's my girl," he praised softly, pulling her a little closer to his chest. Stella rested her head on his shoulder and tried to relax. In spite of her fears, she knew in her heart that Mac wouldn't allow anything else to happen to her. The nurse at the desk immediately showed them to a curtained off exam room.

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Danny was driving Lindsey up the wall by pacing nervously around thier living room, "What was I thinking by not following her to the crime scene? I knew better than to leave her, Mac ordered her to take me along. "

Lindsey put her hand on her husband shoulder to stop him and spoke comfortingly. "You couldn't possibly have known the suspects would come back or that Stella wouldn't be able to defend herself."

"Twice, Lindsey, it's happened to her twice! And this time it's MY fault!"

"She wasn't raped the first time, and this time is NOT your fault. The only people at fault here are the creeps that did this to her."

Danny looked at her with tortured eyes, "I waited almost an hour before I even bothered to call her, Montana . I was so frustrated and angry that she couldn't wait on me for 5 minutes that I thought it served her right to work alone on this one."

"Danny, you made a mistake. But Stella did too. She never should have gone alone, if you were busy she should have found Sheldon or me or even Adam for crying out loud. Mac warned her not to go alone and she decided that she knew better than he did. I guess she learned that lesson the hard way but it's not your fault."

"I should have followed her; I should have never been so angry that I left my partner behind. That's the first rule, never leave your partner. I left her, Lindsey; I left her to figure things out on her own. Then to make it worse I got so wrapped up in trying to locate her that I forgot to let Mac know we couldn't get in touch with her. I mean damn, that's his woman, and I couldn't even protect her. I would have been so furious if Mac had left you out there alone, but I left Stella. Geez I'm so stupid!"

"No, baby, you are human. Wait, his woman? They are together?" Lindsey asked somewhat stunned.

"Did you miss the big fight before she stormed out of his office and demanded I come with her right that instant?"

"Yeah, I must have been at another crime scene. What happened?"

**Flashback**

_ "Mac, I think I know where this creep is taking his vicitims. I'm going to head over and try to take him by surprise before he hurts anyone else," Stella told Mac in a matter-of-fact tone._

_ "I can't come right now, baby, you'll need to take Sheldon or Danny with you for backup. I don't want you going alone."_

_ "Don't baby me, Mac Taylor. I am perfectly capable of taking down a suspect or running this lab. Just because you are my boyfriend doesn't give you the right to treat me like some helpless damsel in distress!" Stella snapped angerly._

_ "Stella," Mac said in a warning tone._

_ "What? I can take care of myself!"_

_ "Take Danny with you, Stella. This guy is dangerous and the last thing I need is someone getting hurt," Mac stated firmly to his stubborn second-in-command, his frustration bubbling through to the surface._

"_I'm a big girl, Mac, I don't need Danny to protect me!" Stella argued._

"_You're taking Danny or I'm pulling you off the case. Understood?" Mac growled, trying his best to keep his voice down, having become aware of the growing crowd outside his office door._

"_FINE!" Stella snapped over her shoulder as she stormed from his office. "Daniel Messer, let's go!" She slammed the door behind her and glared at the lab techs gathered outside, "What are you staring at? Get back to work!"_

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Stella had tensed the moment the nurse had spoken to her. She buried her face against Mac's neck and clung to him as if her life depended upon it. The older woman smiled sadly and spoke softly, "Sweetheart, I'm not going to touch you. Can you look at me?" After a long couple of minutes and some gentle coaxing from Mac, Stella turned her face toward the kind nurse. "It's Stella, correct?" Stella nodded slowly, still keeping her death grip on Mac's sweater. Mac sat down on the edge of the bed, keeping Stella positioned against his chest. "My name is Elizabeth , and I'm going to be your nurse for the next few hours. Can you introduce me to the handsome fellow your holding on so tightly to?"

Stella looked at Mac and whimpered into his chest, "I wanta go home."

Mac smiled sadly and spoke just loud enough for Elizabeth and Stella to hear, "I know, baby. We need to get your shoulder looked at first. Can you answer Elizabeth 's question?" Stella shook her head against his chest and clung a little tighter. "Breathe, Stella, I've got you," Mac coached before turning back to Elizabeth . "I'm Mac Taylor, her…um….boyfriend, I guess." Mac could feel his cheeks turning pink as he admitted that he and Stella were seeing each other.

Elizabeth sighed as Stella pulled violently away from her touch then gasp in pain from her badly injured shoulder and broken ribs. "Is this shy behavior normal for her or is she reacting to her trauma?"

Mac rubbed Stella's back and made quiet hushing sounds in her ear to sooth her, "This is the second time she has been attacked. The first was by her boyfriend and this one by a suspect at a crime scene. She's probably going to be wary of anyone touching her for a long while."

"That's going to make giving her any type of pain killer difficult. I have to touch her to start an IV line."

Mac chuckled and gently pried Stella's good arm away from his shirt. Stella fought him and struggled to get her hand out of his grasp, knowing that Elizabeth was on that side of the bed. "Stella, look at me," Mac commanded gently, when he had her eyes he continued. "Do you trust me?"

"Yeah…..I….I….j…just…d…d…don't want anyone t…touching…me," Stella managed to tell him between sobs. She continued to struggle with Mac to get him to let go of her arm so that it was tucked safely out of anyone's but his reach.

Mac tenderly brought her hand to his lips and placed a loving kiss on the center of her palm. "I love you, Stella. I won't allow anyone to hurt you, not as long as I'm here."

"C...can...Sid...d...do...it?" Stella asked between shaky breaths.

Mac smiled gently, "Would that make you feel better, to have someone you know do it?" Stella nodded and scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Turning to Elizabeth, "Is it possible for one of my team to start the IV line?"

"I don't see why not. Let me check with my supervisor, I'll be back shortly," Elizabeth replied as she slipped from the room to speak with the doctor on Stella's case.


	3. Chapter 3

**A little more fluff than normal, but I needed to fill in what's developing in the story. Please read and review!**

Stella was almost asleep when a young doctor, who looked like he wasn't a day over 30, marched in to the room barking orders. "Okay, I need you to leave us alone for a few minutes while I complete the exam. Should only take about 20 minutes to get her all finished up."

Mac started to protest but the doctor already had several male assistants ready to remove Stella from his arms if he didn't set her down on the bed immediately. Mac gently sat her on the bed and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I love you, Sweetheart. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Stella immediately whimpered, "No," and held on to Mac's shirt.

Mac gently pried her hand from his shirt and kissed her cheek. "I'll be back as soon as you are done, I promise." He shot the young doctor a dirty look and quickly exited the room. "What kind of doctor kicks the family out of the room before they even introduce themselves?" Mac wondered aloud as he entered the waiting room.

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The young doctor was getting increasing frustrated with his patient. She refused to say a word, only silently crying and jerking violently away from his every touch. Her IV had ripped out of her arm 4 times already and he hadn't even begun the procedure. Finally getting annoyed, he jerked her leg into the stirrup and strapped it in place. Almost immediately alarms started sounding and Stella made a choking sound, causing his attending doctor and three nurses to enter the room.

Stella felt as if the room was closing in on her and she couldn't catch her breath. She tried to cry out for Mac, but no sound escaped her lips except from a small whimpering followed by a severe coughing fit. She struggled desperately to catch her breath and free herself from another set of restraints to no avail. Her whole body ached and she felt like she might pass out from pain. That's when the alarms started sounding, and a whole new flood of strangers entered the room.

The attending doctor was an older man, obviously in his late 50s who immediately took charge of the situation. He took a damp cloth and tenderly wiped the dirt from Stella's face, speaking in a low but firm voice. "Stella, I'm Dr. Kenton. I want to help you, but I need you to relax. No one is going to hurt you." When Stella failed to give any sign that she had even registered his voice, Dr. Kenton immediately turned to Elizabeth. "Does she have family in the waiting room?"

"Yes Sir, there are several family members waiting on news."

"See if she has a primary care doctor we can get in contact with. She's having a panic attack and I need her medical history to now how to properly treat her. Also see if someone is willing to come and sit with her, and hopefully help her calm down some."

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Mac was pacing the waiting room anxiously. He knew that Stella was in no shape to be left alone with a stranger and resented that the doctor had kicked him out of the room without even giving his name.

Mac barely noticed Elizabeth until she touched his shoulder, "Mr. Taylor, I need some information about Ms. Bonsera's medical history. Does she have a history of panic attacks?"

"No, I'm sure she's just frightened because the doctor didn't bother to even introduce himself or find out a damn thing about Stella's situation before he started barking orders and kicking me out of the room!" Mac snapped angrily.

Sheldon rushed to Mac's side to rescue the young nurse from Mac's wrath. "I'm Dr. Sheldon Hawks, I work with both Mac and Stella. Please doesn't take him personally, he's just upset and scared.

Elizabeth smiled kindly, "I'm Elizabeth, and I certainly understand Mr. Taylor's concerns. Dr. Macon should have taken more time to introduce and find out about the situation; instead of assuming he already knew everything. I'll speak with his supervisor later about it. You said you were a doctor, do you know anything about Ms. Bonsera's medical history?"

Sheldon frowned, "She doesn't have a history of anxiety attacks that I'm aware of, however this isn't the first time she's undergone this type of exam for a sexual assault. Her boyfriend at the time, attempted to rape and kill her about 4 years ago. He was unsuccessful and was killed by Stella during the confrontation."

"Listen would you and Mr. Taylor come on back, our attending Dr. Kenton is with her now and he asked for a family member that can help keep her calm. You might be able to help him while Mr. Taylor helps her relax."

Sheldon and Mac follow Elizabeth back into the room where Stella is still struggling to catch her breath. The moment she spots Mac, she jerks forward trying to sit up and reach for him. Mac crosses the room quickly and lays her back on the bed, smoothing her hair away from her face and making quiet hushing noises.

"Her oxygen level is dangerously low, we need to get her on pure oxygen for a few minutes to try to slow down her breathing," Dr. Kenton stated to both men.

Sheldon nodded and moved to the opposite side of the bed from Mac. Taking the oxygen mask from Dr. Kenton, Sheldon spoke softly to Stella. "I'm going to put a mask over your nose and mouth, I want to you concentrate on breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth."

Stella swatted at the mask a few times, but stopped as both men gently moved her hands away from her face. She looked at Mac for confirmation that it was okay to do as Sheldon said and Mac smiled tenderly. "Breathe with me, Sweetheart." Mac took several slow deep breaths and smiled as Stella did her best to follow his lead.

Dr. Kenton smiled, "I'm glad to see that she's responding to you. I was beginning to worry that she was suffering with such severe anxiety that she wasn't able to respond to anyone."

Sheldon chuckled sadly, "I'm afraid the only person she will respond to is Mac. She obviously understands what I'm saying to her, but made no move to respond or follow my directions."

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"I think I'm going to be sick," Adam protested as he looked at the crime scene photos from where they had found Stella.

"Why dude? It's not like you haven't seen her naked before, damn" one of the lab techs teased.

"Do you have any class what-so-ever? My God she was attacked and raped, I don't think these pictures are anything like seeing her naked. And furthermore what she and I did or didn't do is none of your concern. Go find something useful to do before a smash your skull in!" Adam snapped angrily.

Danny poked his head into the AV lab, "You alright in here, man?"

"Not really, did you see these pictures? Stell looks pretty beat up."

"Sheldon says she's having a rough time of it. I just hope she can get through this. I feel like a real ass for leaving her out there alone."

"Stop blaming yourself, Danny. It was a careless mistake. Could have happened to any of us. Stella is stubborn, annoying so sometimes. It gets the better of everyone, even Mac, at times. We need to focus on getting this bastard convicted and put away for good."

"I can't help it. I should have been there."

Adam chuckled, "For what? So you could have been injured too, or even killed? Come on, Danny! You made a mistake, but I seriously doubt Stella blames you. That mistake probably saved your life!"

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After almost half an hour, Stella had finally calmed down enough for Dr. Kenton to attempt to complete the exam. He stood at the foot of Stella's bed and spoke in a firm but kind tone, "Stella, can you look at me?" Stella made eye contact with the kind doctor while moving slightly closer to Mac. Dr. Kenton smiled, "Alright, I want to make this as comfortable for you as possible, so I'm going to need you to talk to me. Do you want to use the stirrups or simply bend you knees on the bed and promise not to kick me?"

Sheldon chuckled, "That's a gamble even on a good day."

Stella looked at Dr. Kenton and then back to Mac. She snuggled into Mac's chest and sighed heavily. "I...want..t...to...go...h...home," she said softly to Mac.

Dr. Kenton smiled understandingly, "Stella, I would love for you to get to go home and cuddle with Mac tonight. But we have to get you all fixed up first. Okay? Why don't you allow Sheldon to strap your legs into the stirrups and we'll get this awful exam over with."

Stella shook her head and drew her knees toward her stomach, rolling onto her side. Sid poked his head into the exam room and frowned at what he saw. "I'm Sid Hammerback, the Medical examiner at the crime lab. I came by to see how she was holding up. I take it by her current position that she's having a rough go of it."

Dr. Kenton frowned, "She doesn't seem comfortable with anyone outside of her family touching her."

Sid smiled, "Perhaps I could assist you then. Stella, darling, can you lay on your back for me?" Stella rolled to her back and allowed Sid to stretch her legs out on the bed. He gently lifted her left leg into the stirrup and loosely placed the velco strap over her calf. He repeated the process with her other leg, gently tickling her foot as he finished.

Stella giggled and gave Sid a smile before attempting to remove her legs from the stirrups. "No..." she whimpered softly.

"It's not going to hurt, Sweet girl. Scoot your bottom toward me and rest your head in Mac's lap." Stella's eyes welled with tears, but she did as he asked. "Talk to me, Stell. What's wrong?"

"I...d...don't...t...tr...trust...him..." Stella managed between shaky breaths.

"Atta girl. Would it help if Sheldon and I are the only people to touch you?" Stella nodded and gripped Mac's hand in hers, squeezing her eyes shut. Sheldon moved to the foot of the bed and scrubbed up in the sink. He quickly took the swabs from Dr. Kenton and sat down on the stood.

While the exam might have only taken a few minutes to complete, to Stella it felt like hours. She whimpered and squirmed the entire time, wanting desperately to pull away even from Sheldon's gentle touch. Sid's hand on her belly kept her hips firmly in place. "Just focus on taking nice deep breaths, we don't need you having another episode. It will be all over soon," Sid comforted gently.

By the time Sheldon moved to scrap under her nails, Stella was nearing another panic attack. Dr. Kenton spoke softly to Mac, "Many patients respond well to familiar comforts, something you might do if she became upset at home or work."

Mac nodded and kicked his shoes off before swinging his legs onto the small bed. He pulled Stella into a firm hug and held her head gently against his chest. Stella quickly wrapped her good arm around his chest and let out a whimper, as Mac tenderly rubbed her back. Sure enough after several minutes of quietly laying against his chest, Stella began to calm and her eyes falling closed and her breathing evening out. Sid frowned for a moment and asked quietly, "Will she freak out if I touch her to scrap under her nails?"

Mac chuckled, "I wouldn't think so. Normally she's a heavy sleeper."

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End file.
